As the entry date for the third 2017 Sanlam Portrait Award looms ever closer, we take a step back and reconsider / revisit the overall winner and Top 40 artists of 2015.

The opportunity to have a solo at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville, the organizer of the competition, is part of the prize for the overall winner. In addition to this celebration of the winner’s work, the Top 40 artists for 2015 were offered the opportunity to take part in a group exhibition titled: NOT A PORTRAIT.

Not stopping there, The Gallery Committee of the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery selected one artist from the entire pool of entries as their favourite, and this artist has been invited to have a solo exhibition in the gallery’s third Salon while the two aforementioned exhibitions occupy the gallery’s other two Salons.

These three exhibitions will take place during the entry phase of the 2017 competition – affording local entrants the chance to view these exhibitions while delivering their entries to the gallery.

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JOHN PACE SOLO EXHIBITION | WINNER’S SOLO

The 2015 judges, Craig Wylie, Ernestine White & Tanya Poole selected John Pace’s entry, titled After the Match, as the overall winner of that year’s Sanlam Portrait Award. Whether you are a fan or a critic of the winning work, you will have the opportunity to view an entire body of work by the winning artist – his first-ever solo exhibition.

Pace spent most of his working life as an art director in advertising and the last 13 years in design, from packaging to brand identities. Working full-time, he has had to put in countless extra hours to complete this collection of portraits, and we think that the public will be pleasantly surprised by the strong body of work that he has produced over the past 22 months.

Pace portrays a varied scope of subject matter, from a pig farmer to a brain surgeon, with the theme “human endeavour” at the core of this series.

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TOP 40 GROUP SHOW | NOT A PORTRAIT

Then in Rust-en-Vrede Gallery’s second Salon, the Top 40 artists were invited to submit anything BUT a portrait. This exhibition will provide them with a chance to demonstrate their skills in something other than portraiture, with the only restriction being the size of the work.

Durban based artist, Sakhile Mhlongo is the 2015 Gallery Committee choice. His solo exhibition will be exhibited in the third Salon.

Mhlongo has been commissioned to do a number of paintings, including a portrait of the late Moses Mabhida for the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. He is also known for his large-scale murals that can be seen all over the country.

The 2015 Winner’s Solo, NOT A PORTRAIT and the Gallery Committee Choice exhibitions promise to become a popular fixture on Rust-en-Vrede Gallery’s calendar, to serve as inspiration to all aspiring artists and entrants to the Sanlam Portrait Award. These three not-to-be-missed exhibitions will open on Tuesday 13 June at 7pm, and will be available for public view until the 14th of July 2017.